Parent and teacher report of social skills in children with autism spectrum disorders.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine the agreement between parent and teacher perceptions of specific social behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).


METHODS
Informant ratings were generated concerning 45 children with ASD between the ages of 5 and 14 years who were enrolled in social skills groups at 2 Midwestern outpatient autism treatment centers.


RESULTS
Moderate agreement was observed between parents and teachers for the overall social skills rating scores (r = 0.34; p < 0.05), but there was little agreement on specific social items. Distinct patterns of skill profiles emerged. Parents consistently provided relatively higher ratings on items that pertained to initiating interactions. Teachers, on the other hand, consistently provided higher ratings on items related to responding to and maintaining interactions. Parents and teachers agreed most often on items of affective understanding and perspective taking.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that specific social behaviors may be context dependent, indicating the need for a multi-informant approach to provide a more complete profile of a child's social abilities, which is necessary for generating a more effective treatment plan.
Murray
Donna S
DS
Cincinnati Children's Hospital, 3333 Burnet Avenue ML 4002, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA. donna.murray@cchmc.org
Ruble
Lisa A
LA
Willis
Heather
H
Molloy
Cynthia A
CA
D000293:Adolescent; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires